Loss of Council House on Death of Parents

marmitepotato

Luxor4t and mountainofdebt, I have said exactly the same things to her and I agree with you both completely. It's her decision to make and I hope she chooses the flat. It will be so much better for her, easy to run and keep clean, but I can't make her move and I can't tell her she mst take the flat. The decision has to be hers and hers alone. The work load that will be put on OH and myself will be tremendous as she won't be able to do much, but we will make the move as easy and stress free as it can possibly be.....if she moves.

peachyprice

marmitepotato wrote: »

It's a big ask of an 80 year old to give up every thing she loves. It's a big ask to move 45 years of married life, to decide what has to go to the local auctions and what you are going to take with you. Moving is difficult enough at any age, let alone when you are old and tottery on you feet. Yes, I know her house is needed for a family, but how many of you would move so readily if you were in her position?

Many elderly people downsize when they can no longer cope with a large family home, that's life I'm afraid, and it's not something confined to council tenant, home owners have to make the exact same decision.

WiseOldBird_2

Thanks again for all help. May I please point out it wasn't me who made the comment to my friend about asylum seekers, but a member of her family who was upset about the situation - as you say it's a very emotional time for everyone. I'm trying to get the facts for her, and will take a positive approach if and when the time comes. There's no point worrying about what sort of accommodation she will be offered. It could be that she will be rehoused in a lovely area with a small flat which will be less rent and a lot easier to look after. As you say, change in life is inevitable.

I count among my friends quite a few asylum seekers, know their back-stories which are horrendous and feel good that we are a country that is compassionate and can offer refuge. Unfortunately there are anti-social people in every country of the world!

pigpen

marmitepotato wrote: »

Interesting thread. My MIL currently rents her three bedroom council house that she has lived in for the last 45 years. She is 80 years old and now finds the stairs difficult. She has been offered the chance to look at a brand new ground floor one bed flat. Initially she turned it down, even tho we encouraged her to just look at it with no intention of moving. But no, she wasn't moving! Her friends said she was mad to not even consider it.

She rang up the council and said said she had a change of mind. Too late they said, the list is closed! She asked me to get involved and after much faffing about, she will be viewing the flat.


Since then another change of heart. Tears, lots of tears, she doesn't want to move. It's her home, she's lived there for 45 years, the spirit if her dead husband is there, she will get a stair lift, then, would I please ring 'them' up and cancel the appointment?


I haven't cancelled the appointment, she will be viewing the flat, then she can make her decision. If she doesn't take this flat, then has an accident at home and can't manage the stairs any more, the local council will rehouse her miles away from her friends, her clubs, and the village she's lived in nearly all her life.


It's a big ask of an 80 year old to give up every thing she loves. It's a big ask to move 45 years of married life, to decide what has to go to the local auctions and what you are going to take with you. Moving is difficult enough at any age, let alone when you are old and tottery on you feet. Yes, I know her house is needed for a family, but how many of you would move so readily if you were in her position?

5 or 6 months ago my 84 y/o nanna fell down the stairs of her 3 bed house she has lived in since they were built in 1960. She spent over a week in hospital had surgery to fix a broken femur and now is unable to do her shopping, pick up prescriptions, get on the bus.. She also refused totally to move house to somewhere safer for her to live, now she may have no choice. She has wet herself trying to get up the stairs to the toilet, has spent most nights sleeping on the sofa. This is a woman who regularly went into the town centre shopping, day trips with friends, visited ill relative 2 bus rides away and was extremely independant.

Having seen how devastating this injury has been I would move in a flash.. actually I'd move tonight to a bungalow given the chance.. but I doubt the children would fit in.. mind you.. that might be a plus *remembers the sweet thing called sleep*

DannyBo

WiseOldBird wrote: »

I don't know if anyone could help with advice for my friend who is faced with a terrible situation. She has lived in the same council house since she was 6 months old with her parents, who have the tenancy agreement in their names. Four weeks ago her mother (whom she has nursed for years), died at the age of 92. Her father is also severely disabled, in his 90's and she cares for him too. The day after her mother's death she was visited by a council representative who told her that she wasn't able to take over the tenancy, and that when her father dies (he can't have many years left unfortunately), that she would have to leave her home as she wasn't the 'tenant'. They made it clear that they are under no obligation to find alternative accommodation for her, but under the circumstances they would.

Her parents have paid rent on this home for over 60 years, have never been in a position to afford to buy it and it seems very hard for her, at her age, to lose what she regards as her home too. She has offered to continue to pay the full rent, but they won't consider it.

Is it a lost cause? Or can she do anything to save her home? It's worth about £120k and if she could raise the money she could buy it in her dad's name and he would get a 50% discount on the sale, but she just hasn't got the money to buy it.

Any ideas? Thanks.

Oh tiddumms.. Welcome her with open arms to the real world - I'm at the very least half her age and paying £1200/month rent.

This country is screwed up when it comes to social housing, totally ridiculous the whole points system - you can have persons living in the same street on the same salary, one party living for £60/week in social housing, the other paying full whack/market price. Nevermind if the council tenant is a lottery winner or the like.

She's had a free ride for long enough, tell her to suck it up.

:mad:

meritaten

as I am approaching my sixties - I understand what losing your 'home' means. It has distressed me how many people on here have said blithely 'so she should be rehomed and let a family have the house'. Yes, it seems logical - but, you do get attached to your 'home' especially if you have always lived there or lived there for some time.
If a person has lived their whole lifetime in one house - I can understand if they want to remain there. Its a shame the parents never took advantage of the right to buy. my neighbour was in her seventies and unemployed when she bought her council house - how? because her son paid the mortgage - and the company were happy for him to do so but the house remains in her name.

Dunroamin

Sorry if this has already been mentioned but I haven't had time to read the whole thread.

OP, does your friend realise that, under the new arrangements, she'll have to pay 25% of the rent, even if claiming HB? Wouldn't she be much better to live in a smaller place that she can afford?

seven-day-weekend

peachyprice wrote: »

Many elderly people downsize when they can no longer cope with a large family home, that's life I'm afraid, and it's not something confined to council tenant, home owners have to make the exact same decision.

Yes, we do. My husband and I are already considering where we would like to downsize to if the time comes when we don't want a house with three sets of stairs and a garden.

seven-day-weekend

meritaten wrote: »

as I am approaching my sixties - I understand what losing your 'home' means. It has distressed me how many people on here have said blithely 'so she should be rehomed and let a family have the house'. Yes, it seems logical - but, you do get attached to your 'home' especially if you have always lived there or lived there for some time.
If a person has lived their whole lifetime in one house - I can understand if they want to remain there. Its a shame the parents never took advantage of the right to buy. my neighbour was in her seventies and unemployed when she bought her council house - how? because her son paid the mortgage - and the company were happy for him to do so but the house remains in her name.

I was one of the people who said she should be rehomed so a family can have the house. Apart from a gap of eight years when we moved to Spain, we have lived in our house for nearly forty years. So I know what that is like. If and when the time comes, we will move to a ground floor flat. That's life.

As to the family having her house, this is social housing we are talking about here, a scarce resource which has to be allocated sensibly and it is not sensible to have one person live in glorious splendour in a family size house when there are families living in overcrowded conditions. It is not her house, it never has been, and if she wants social housing she should have an appropriate size place. IMO, she is very lucky that that council are going to rehouse her - most single people don't have that luxury.

Fire_Fox

WiseOldBird wrote: »

Thanks for replies. On the surface it does seem best to 'buy' the house. But (forgive my ignorance), as her dad is the tenant, then he'd technically have to apply for the mortgage? Who would lend a 90 year old with no income £60k?

Would a mortage company loan my friend the money in the circumstances? As you say, she'd would be better off paying a small mortage than paying rent. But would mortgage companies be as accommodating?

You can't buy someone else's council house, there are rules and safeguards against this. Otherwise vultures everywhere would be purchasing Auntie Vera's house simply to get the discount. Appreciate that is not the case here but honestly that will not work given the father is in his nineties. He would have to be the sole purchaser not 'in name only' or 'technically' and would have to live long enough for the house to be inheritable and not revert to the council/ discount repaid. Plus if he needed to go into a care home his estate would be liable for the costs.